Romney and Obama top party lists

Express-News Editorial Board

Updated 1:44 am, Sunday, May 13, 2012

The protracted legal battle over Texas redistricting has had many negative consequences for voters, candidates and elections officials. For Republicans, the extremely late date of the state's primary election once again has made Texas a non-factor in the official process to determine a presidential nominee.

Texas GOP voters, however, did have the ability to influence the GOP race by contributing time and money in other state primaries. That's why the Express-News Editorial Board took the unusual step in early January — when the Texas primary had initially been pushed back to April 3 from March 6 — of endorsing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the Republican race. The four intervening months have vindicated that endorsement.

Romney has withstood a series of challenges from the right to become the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Romney's unassailable lead in the delegate count is more than a function of his financial advantage. It is a reflection of his organizational skill and appeal to a broad range of Republican voters.

Romney's success is the result of years of preparation in higher education, in the private sector and in politics. He took over an Olympic Winter Games organization in crisis and made it a success. And he was the Republican governor of a Democratic state, where he worked to achieve bipartisan solutions for welfare- and health-care reform.

Romney's sensible, data-driven approach enables him to appeal to moderates and independents, making him the only credible challenger in November.

Because of primary's timing and requirements for setting the ballot, GOP voters will still have eight presidential candidates to choose from, including four who have ended or suspended their campaigns. Texas Republicans can show clear support for the only serious candidate and the one best-suited to win the White House by voting for Romney.

Despite having an incumbent in the White House, Texas Democrats will also be voting for a presidential nominee in the primary election. Four Democratic candidates qualified to appear on the Texas ballot. Only one of them is serious: Barack Obama.

President Obama's record will be vigorously debated in the general election. But the fact that he drew no credible challengers in the primary is a clear indication of his leadership of the Democratic ticket in 2012.

The president was sworn in during a dramatic economic crisis and has steered the nation on a path of recovery — albeit slow — during a historically turbulent era.

Obama has earned broad support within the party for championing the cause of health-care reform and addressing the consequences of economic inequality. He is the clear choice for Texas Democrats.